Let's Talk, People with Emily Frieze-Kemeny

Your Old Playbook Won't Work Here

Stepping into a new leadership role should feel like progress. But for many leaders, the pressure to prove yourself, move fast, and make the right decisions quickly muddles how you show up when it matters most. In this episode of Let’s Talk, People, Emily sits down with Oneeka Botu [https://www.linkedin.com/in/oneekabotu/], Senior HR Leader for Retail Leadership & Team Development at Valentino, a globally recognized luxury brand with a retail footprint across North America and markets worldwide. With more than 20 years of experience across brands including Saks Fifth Avenue, Yves Saint Laurent, Bulgari, and La Perla, Oneeka brings deep expertise in helping leaders navigate transitions and accelerate impact. Together, Emily and Oneeka unpack what it really takes to step into a new leadership role successfully. They explore how to shift out of old patterns and stop relying on what worked before, how early pressure to prove yourself can actually slow progress, and why relationships are the foundation for influence that leads to meaningful execution. They also discuss the signals behind common leadership traps like micromanaging and over-explaining, and what it means to intentionally reset when leading former peers. Whether you’re stepping into a new role, navigating a promotion, or supporting leaders through transition, this conversation offers a new playbook to help you build trust faster, adapt with intention, and lead with greater clarity from day one. Timestamps: * [00:04:14] No Playbook Works the Same Twice – Emily and Oneeka challenge the idea that past success guarantees future results. They explore why every new role requires leaders to adapt to a different team, culture, and set of expectations, and how relying on what worked before can quietly limit impact. * [00:12:06] Relationships Before Results – Oneeka shares why new leaders must prioritize connection before execution. Together, she and Emily unpack how building trust and co-creating early direction creates the foundation for influence and sustainable performance. * [00:25:13] Redefining Relationships When You Become the Boss – Oneeka and Emily unpack the emotional complexity of managing former peers. They explore why avoiding the conversation creates more tension, and how clarity around expectations, feedback, and boundaries helps preserve trust while establishing leadership credibility. * [00:36:48] It’s Time To Build A New Playbook – Emily and Oneeka explore the internal pressure many leaders feel to deliver immediately, and how that pressure often leads to pushing too hard, over-explaining, or micromanaging. They reframe these behaviors as common traps leaders fall into and identify how to slow down and notice the signals so that you can shift your mindset and behaviors before it’s too late. Access the episode transcript [https://www.arosegroup.com/post/let-s-talk-people-episode-37]. Join the Conversation: This year we’re taking audience questions! Send in your toughest people management and leadership challenges, and we’ll anonymize them and tackle them in an upcoming episode. Email Abigail on our Let’s Talk, People team with your situation as a written note or voice memo to abigail@arosegroup.com [abigail@arosegroup.com]. Connect with Emily Frieze-Kemeny on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-frieze-kemeny/] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/letstalkpeoplepodcast/] or explore her work through AROSE Group’s website [https://www.arosegroup.com?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=captivate&utm_campaign=interview&utm_content=uncovering]. If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Let’s Talk, People in Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lets-talk-people-with-emily-frieze-kemeny/id1713722861], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3uxBZJBn8xZMHJrdrxEyOU], or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts. It helps others discover the show. Thanks for listening to Let’s Talk, People!

Influence Isn’t About Winning

Influence is one of the most misunderstood skills in leadership. We often think it means pushing harder, building a stronger case, or winning the room. In reality, influence usually begins in a much quieter place… in the pause that helps you manage your own reaction. In this episode of Let’s Talk, People, Emily Frieze-Kemeny [www.linkedin.com/in/emily-frieze-kemeny] sits down with Courtney Michener Miller [https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtneymichenermiller/], Head of Learning at AstraZeneca, a global biopharmaceutical organization with more than 94,000 employees worldwide. Courtney leads enterprise learning and development across sales, market access, and medical functions, bringing deep experience navigating influence within complex, global systems. Together, Emily and Courtney unpack what influence really requires: pausing before you push, separating identity from ideas and outcomes, and respecting the broader context your leaders may be carrying. They explore how to influence up without escalating unnecessarily, why “less is more” in high-stakes forums, and how to lead with both data and solutions instead of conviction alone. Whether you’re influencing up, sideways, or within your own team, this conversation will help you stay grounded in your sphere of agency, influence, and acceptance to lead with greater clarity, composure, and effectiveness. Timestamps: 1. [00:06:12] Pause Before You Push – Emily and Courtney unpack how many influence moments start in emotional reaction- frustration, defensiveness, or feeling excluded. They explore why effective influence begins with pausing, gaining perspective, and identifying what’s actually within your control before deciding how to respond. 2. [00:12:28] Influence Up with Data, Solutions, and Respect – Courtney emphasizes the importance of leading with both data and solution, not just conviction. Together, she and Emily discuss doing a quick risk assessment, respecting the broader pressures your boss may be carrying, and bringing forward thoughtful recommendations rather than complaints. 3. [00:14:49] The Power of the “Meeting Before the Meeting” – Emily introduces the concept of setting context with your boss before escalating an issue, aligning on tone, goals, and expectations. She and Courtney explore when to bring a subject matter expert into the room, how to prepare them, and how this pre-alignment strengthens influence rather than creating resistance. 4. [00:21:59] Influence Isn’t Winning, It’s Leading Anyway – Emily and Courtney reflect on the idea that influence doesn’t always mean getting your way. Sometimes leadership chooses a different path, and your job shifts. They explore what it means to control the controllables and put on your “consultant hat” to add value without over-identifying with the outcome. Access the episode transcript. [https://www.arosegroup.com/post/let-s-talk-people-episode-36] Join the Conversation: This year we’re taking audience questions! Send in your toughest people management and leadership challenges, and we’ll anonymize them and tackle them in an upcoming episode. Email Abigail on our Let’s Talk, People team with your situation as a written note or voice memo to abigail@arosegroup.com [abigail@arosegroup.com]. Connect with Emily Frieze-Kemeny on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-frieze-kemeny/] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/letstalkpeoplepodcast/] or explore her work through AROSE Group’s website [https://www.arosegroup.com?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=captivate&utm_campaign=interview&utm_content=uncovering]. If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Let’s Talk, People in Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lets-talk-people-with-emily-frieze-kemeny/id1713722861], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3uxBZJBn8xZMHJrdrxEyOU], or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts. It helps others discover the show. Thanks for listening to Let’s Talk, People!

When Change Feels Like It’s Happening to You

Change is no longer an occasional disruption, it’s the constant backdrop of leadership today. And when change accelerates, leaders are often left holding the weight of uncertainty, pressure and unspoken anxiety across their teams. In this episode of Let’s Talk, People, Emily Frieze-Kemeny [www.linkedin.com/in/emily-frieze-kemeny] sits down with Kiabi Carson [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiabicarson/], Head of Human Resources for North America at Turner & Townsend, a £1.4B global professional services company supporting large-scale construction and infrastructure programs across 60+ countries. Together, they explore why silence during uncertainty creates more fear, how to communicate honestly when you don’t have all the answers, and what it really means to hold space for your team without amplifying anxiety. Kiabi shares lessons from leading through large-scale mergers, organizational transformation, and unexpected role shifts, offering practical guidance on staying grounded, protecting business-as-usual, and helping teams focus on what they can control when everything feels unsettled. Whether you’re leading through a merger, restructuring, or rapid change with limited clarity, this episode offers grounded strategies to help you communicate with confidence, build trust through uncertainty, and lead with steadiness when your team needs it most. Timestamps: 1. [00:15:13] Leading Up in Times of Pressure – Emily and Kiabi explore how leaders can navigate decisions that are already made by bringing empathy, positivity, and impact-focused feedback (rather than complaints) when senior leaders are under intense pressure. 2. [00:21:01] Why Silence Creates Anxiety During Change – Emily and Kiabi unpack why going quiet when there’s no new information actually fuels fear and speculation, and how leaders can create a consistent communication rhythm that builds trust by sharing what’s known, what’s unknown and when you’ll share more. 3. [00:28:14] Protecting Business-as-Usual While Navigating Transformation – Emily and Kiabi discuss the importance of keeping business-as-usual and transformation work in separate lanes, making space for change conversations while still grounding teams in what they can execute today. 4. [00:30:53] Holding Space Without Carrying the Emotional Weight – The conversation dives into how leaders can acknowledge and normalize anxiety without amplifying it; by naming what’s unsettling, listening deeply, reflecting back what they’re hearing, and using personal support systems to process their own emotions so the team doesn’t have to. Access the episode transcript [https://www.arosegroup.com/post/let-s-talk-people-episode-35]. Join the Conversation: This year we’re taking audience questions! Send in your toughest people management and leadership challenges, and we’ll anonymize them and tackle them in an upcoming episode. Email Abigail on our Let’s Talk, People team with your situation as a written note or voice memo to abigail@arosegroup.com [abigail@arosegroup.com]. Connect with Emily Frieze-Kemeny on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-frieze-kemeny/] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/letstalkpeoplepodcast/] or explore her work through AROSE Group’s website [https://www.arosegroup.com?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=captivate&utm_campaign=interview&utm_content=uncovering]. If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Let’s Talk, People in Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lets-talk-people-with-emily-frieze-kemeny/id1713722861], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3uxBZJBn8xZMHJrdrxEyOU], or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts. It helps others discover the show. Thanks for listening to Let’s Talk, People!

Who Decides Here?

When leaders don’t define decision guardrails early, decisions drift upward, risk feels unsafe, and teams stop building the muscle to decide for themselves. In this episode of Let’s Talk, People, Emily sits down with Olesya Govorun [https://www.linkedin.com/in/olesya-govorun/], who leads organizational development and culture transformation at Pfizer, to unpack why ineffective decision-making is one of the most costly (and fixable) leadership challenges today. Drawing on her work at Pfizer, including efforts to empower expert-level decision-making during the rapid development and launch of the COVID-19 vaccine, Olesya shares what it actually takes to move decisions closer to the work without sacrificing alignment or trust. Together, they explore why decision rights often remain unclear, how over-involving leaders slows momentum, and what leaders can do to shift from being the final approver to building confident, capable decision-makers across their teams. Whether you’re leading in a complex organization, navigating high-stakes change, or trying to speed up execution without losing rigor, this episode offers practical frameworks and mindset shifts to help you redesign how decisions get made and unlock better outcomes at every level. Timestamps: 1. [00:16:40] Establishing Decision Guardrails Early – Olesya introduces the principle of Decision Guardrails - clarifying and agreeing upon which decisions can be fully owned, who gets to decide, and when a decision needs feedback or approval. 2. [00:19:34] Decision-Making as a Learnable Skill – Emily and Olesya explore how leaders can reduce the fear and risk tied to decision-making by adopting a learner’s mindset and providing the right supports like coaching, training, hands-on experience, and real-time feedback. 3. [00:22:31] Making It Safe for People to Make Decisions – Emily and Olesya unpack how psychologically safe teams create norms around risk-taking, having disagreement, and challenging ideas (not people) to make better decisions faster. 4. [00:26:11] Shifting the Role of the Leader from Decision Makers to Decision Builders – Olesya articulates that one of the most critical roles of leadership today is building others’ confidence and capability to decide. Access the episode transcript. [https://www.arosegroup.com/post/let-s-talk-people-episode-34] Join the Conversation: This year we’re taking audience questions! Send in your toughest people management and leadership challenges, and we’ll anonymize them and tackle them in an upcoming episode. Email Abigail on our Let’s Talk, People team with your situation as a written note or voice memo to abigail@arosegroup.com [abigail@arosegroup.com]. Connect with Emily Frieze-Kemeny on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-frieze-kemeny/] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/letstalkpeoplepodcast/] or explore her work through AROSE Group’s website [https://www.arosegroup.com?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=captivate&utm_campaign=interview&utm_content=uncovering]. If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Let’s Talk, People in Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lets-talk-people-with-emily-frieze-kemeny/id1713722861], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3uxBZJBn8xZMHJrdrxEyOU], or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts. It helps others discover the show. Thanks for listening to Let’s Talk, People!

Keeping People Isn’t Always Kind

Every leader faces it… the moment you realize someone on your team just isn’t cutting it.. Too often, leaders hold onto struggling employees out of compassion, hope, or fear of being “too harsh.” But avoiding hard decisions can quietly drain energy, stall team performance, and create bigger problems down the line. In this episode of Let’s Talk, People, Emily sits down with Mary Beech [https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryrennerbeech/], Chief Growth Officer at Thorne, to explore one of leadership’s toughest balancing acts: managing performance with clarity and care and knowing when it’s time to call it. Together, they unpack how to recognize when coaching isn’t enough, how to make confident calls under pressure, and how to support your high performers. Mary shares personal lessons she learned the hard way, from holding on too long, to learning that accountability is an act of empathy. Whether you’re a new manager navigating difficult conversations or a seasoned leader looking to sharpen your performance management skills, this episode offers practical tools and mindset shifts to help you lead with clarity, fairness, and heart. Timestamps:  * [00:01:15] Acting with Empathy and Accountability in Tough Decisions –Underperformance isn’t a relationship issue. It’s a team issue. As leaders, our job is to protect the business and the team, not just preserve one relationship. Mary describes how delaying difficult performance decisions can quietly erode trust, credibility, and team morale. * [00:07:32] The Sprint vs. Marathon of Managing Performance – Be very intentional about which people you spend your time on. Treat your coaching and attention like a portfolio. Emily and Mary unpack when it’s appropriate for leaders to overinvest time with  certain team members, and how leaders can leverage strategies to balance time between both high and low performers. * [00:13:09]: Evolving Roles from Generalists to Specialists – As your business evolves, not everyone will still fit the needs. What worked in an early, generalist-heavy stage may not work in a more specialized, scaled environment. Emily and Mary discuss how sometimes the most caring choice is to clarify the new expectations and support someone to shift roles or move on. * [00:22:22] Feedback as a Lifelong Skill – Giving clear and timely feedback gives you credibility and reinforces you as the leader. Mary reflects on why feedback isn’t a box to check but a practice to keep refining, even for experienced executives. They discuss real-time coaching and how ongoing conversations strengthen your credibility, align the broader leadership team, and give the individual a real chance to adjust. Access the episode transcript. [https://www.arosegroup.com/post/let-s-talk-people-episode-33] Join the Conversation: This year we’re taking audience questions! Send in your toughest people management and leadership challenges, and we’ll anonymize them and tackle them in an upcoming episode. Email Abigail on our Let’s Talk, People team with your situation as a written note or voice memo to abigail@arosegroup.com [abigail@arosegroup.com]. Connect with Emily Frieze-Kemeny on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-frieze-kemeny/] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/letstalkpeoplepodcast/] or explore her work through AROSE Group’s website [https://www.arosegroup.com?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=captivate&utm_campaign=interview&utm_content=uncovering]. If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Let’s Talk, People in Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lets-talk-people-with-emily-frieze-kemeny/id1713722861], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3uxBZJBn8xZMHJrdrxEyOU], or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts. It helps others discover the show. Thanks for listening to Let’s Talk, People!